Lutraria
Encyclopedia
Lutraria is a genus of medium-sized marine
bivalve mollusks or clams, commonly known as otter shells. They live buried in sand to a depth of about 30 cm (12 in) , usually below low water mark, with their siphons extended to the sea bed. As they grow they burrow deeper but are otherwise relatively sedentary.
is brown, but the latter is usually abraded. The interior surface of the valves is glossy white. The beaks are blunt and situated slightly closer to the anterior end. The ligament is small and largely internal. The foot is small and the siphons are long and are housed in a common horny sheath for most of their length.
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
bivalve mollusks or clams, commonly known as otter shells. They live buried in sand to a depth of about 30 cm (12 in) , usually below low water mark, with their siphons extended to the sea bed. As they grow they burrow deeper but are otherwise relatively sedentary.
Characteristics
Members of this genus have large, elongated oval shells with two equal sized valves. The anterior end is somewhat sharply curved but the posterior end is more rounded. The valves gape slightly at both ends, more so at the posterior end. The shell is fairly thick and is sculptured with fine concentric lines corresponding to periods of growth. The basic colour is white and the periostracumPeriostracum
The periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the...
is brown, but the latter is usually abraded. The interior surface of the valves is glossy white. The beaks are blunt and situated slightly closer to the anterior end. The ligament is small and largely internal. The foot is small and the siphons are long and are housed in a common horny sheath for most of their length.
Species
- Lutraria angustior Philippi, 1844
- Lutraria budkeri Nicklès, 1955
- Lutraria capensis Reeve, 1854
- Lutraria complanata (Gmelin, 1791)
- Lutraria curta Reeve, 1854
- Lutraria impar Reeve, 1854
- Lutraria inhacaensis Boshoff, 1965
- Lutraria lutrariaLutraria lutrariaLutraria lutraria is a species of large marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mactridae. Its common names include the otter shell and the common otter shell...
(Linnaeus, 1758) - Lutraria maxima Jonas, 1844
- Lutraria oblonga (Gmelin, 1791)
- Lutraria rhynchaena Jonas, 1844
- Lutraria senegalensis Gray, 1837
- Lutraria sieboldii Reeve, 1854
- Lutraria steynlussii Huber, 2010
- Lutraria turneri Jousseaume, 1891